BIOIOIKIS
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atomic physicist and as a teach er and w riter, h e explores in W aves and Grains the theoretical, exp erimental, and histo rical themes of light - and in doing so untangles some of the m ys teri es of physics by directing the mind's eye toward neglected corners of th e study of light and the curious human drive to know just how it all wo rks. In this book, Professor Silverman gives examples of fascinating experiments that look insi<j.e the opaque. H e demonstrates to th e reader the m arv el of seeing inside doudy liquids as a result ofhis ow n research. H e examines the origin of the strange hyp erpolic diffraction pattern Newton originally produced w ith sunlight and knives, w riting, " I have seen no optics text o r monograph, elem entary or advan ced in w hich is mentioned, let alone analyzed, the intriguing problem that captured N ewton's attention some three centuries ago." " Silverman has a sharp eye for the unusu al/ a daunting skill in follo w ing up arcane and illtrodde n aspects of physics, and an uncommon felicity w ith words .... His science refl ects his considerable skills at primary research. And he has the ability to stand back and take in the contours of a subj ect from the viewpoint of a nonspecialist so as to en co urage then1 to see w hat h e is seeing. What more could one ask?" says Geoff Stedm an of the University of Canterbury, New Z ealand.
ADAM SMITH AND THE VIRTUES OF ENLIGHTENMENT by Charles L. Griswold, Jr. '73 Cambridge U niversity Press (New York, NY), 1998, 448 pages, $59.95 hardcover, $21.95 paperback Charles Griswold, professor and chairman of the department of philosophy at Boston Unive rsity, h as written th e first com-
by Trinity Authors
preh ensive philosophical study of Adam Smith's moral and political thought. In this n ew book, Griswold places Smith's work in the context of th e Enlightenment and relates it to current discussions in moral and political philosophy . Smith's appropriation as well as criticism of ancient philosophy, and his balanced defense of a liberal and humane moral and political outlook are also explored . A major philosophical and historical reassessment of a key E nlightenment figure, this book will b e of sp ecial interest to philosophers and political and legal theorists, as well as to historians of ideas , rhetoric, and political economy . Said Stephen Darwall of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, of this book, "With one eye on the eighteenth century and the other on our current predicam ent, Charles Griswold's Adam Smith and the Vi rtues of Enlightenment is wonderfully interesting and informative, philsophically stimulating and acute, and beautifully written."
NIKE IS A GODDESS The History of Women in Sports edited by Lissa Smith '95 Atlantic Monthly Press (New York, NY), October 1998, 331 p ages, $24 cloth Lissa Smith, an editor at Atlanti c M onthly Press, has produ ced this lively collection, w hich features original, profiledriven pieces from 13 top female sp ortswriters. Illustrated w ith black and w hite photographs, th e anthology describes the profound changes women 's sports have undergone and pays tribute to the path-finding women athle tes w ho led the way. In an Introduction, Mariah Burton Nelson, the aw ardwinning author of The Stronger W omen Get, T he More Men Love Football, writes, "To b e our b est, female fans n eed female
ch ampions to show us w hat greatn ess means. We n eed female w riters to uncover and interpret that greatness . W e n eed to learn about women who succeeded despite the odds, w ho sprinted past all th e p eople w ho said 'no' and 'you shouldn't' and 'you can ' t.' We need answers to our big questions: How do women grow strong? How can we w in? Where does courage come from ? This book answers those questions. " Among the women featured in the stories are: Wilma Rudolph, Jackie Mitch ell , C hris Evert, Babe Didrikso n , Dawn R iley, Sonia H enie, Gertrude Ederle, D ianne Krump, Mary Lou R etton, Mia Han1n1, Manon Rheun1e, and Pat H ead Summit. The contributors include: Kathleen M cElroy, track and field; Amy Ellis Nutt, baseball and softb all; G race Lichtenstein, tennis; M elanie H auser, golf, Anna Seaton Huntington, boating; J ean W eiss, skiing; Michelle Kaufman, figure skating; Karen Karbo , swimming; J ackie C . Burke, equestrian; Jane Leavy, gymnas tics; Elise P ettus, soccer; Barbara Stewart, ice hockey; and Shelley Smith, b ask etball.
AMERICA AND THE SEA: A MARITIME HISTORY by Benjamin W. Labaree, William M. Fowler, J r., John B. Hatten dorf, Jeffrey ]. Safford, Edward W. Sloan, and Andrew W. German M ys tic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea (Mystic, CT), 1998, 704 pages, 350 photos , $65 hardcover Edward Sloan, Charles H. N ortham Professor of History at Trinity, and five other of the nation's leading m aritime scholars collaborated to produ ce this m agnificent history, w hich has b een described as "nothing less than a n ew history of the United States ." Sloan and the other fiv e authors are faculty members at the Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies at M ys tic Seaport. Established in 1955, the Munson Institute offers graduate-level, accredited courses in m aritime studi es during the summer months. Professor Sloan has taught for many years and served as assistant director of th e Munson Institute. The book " distills the know ledge of a great many years of teaching" of the six authors, Sloan comments. Sloan says that America and the Sea " represents the first time th at there has been an integration of m ercantile and naval history , presented in the context of more gen eral developments in this country. " The